Chapter 309: Betrayed
Kevin kept turning his head around as he entered the village the two had migrated to.
It was a peaceful place with several houses lined on either side of the path which didn’t have a concrete structure.
Forget about the street, the houses themselves were quite out of shape as if made with imperfect hands.
Though the view from the centre of the town was breathtaking...all the mountains surrounding the place, this place was still quite remote.
"You really chose the most isolated place in the world," he muttered. "I mean, are there even fifty people living here?"
William sighed. "Is it a human necessity to live in a crowd?"
"No, but still... aren’t you two bored here? You spent your whole lives as warriors, always surrounded by chaos and people, and now you’re suddenly living in a place like this."
One was the son of the Count who has lived his life amongst adventurers and comrades. And the other one was the daughter of East Wind’s Master. Someone who was engaged in research department no less so she must be missing her days as well.
William hummed softly. "I guess you don’t remember, but neither of us ever really had friends aside from each other."
Kevin immediately corrected him. "You’re talking to one of her friends."
William gave him a wry smile. "What a way to delude yourself."
Kevin scoffed. "Still jealous as ever." Of course, he was a good friend of Emma. Despite the thorny phase that came between them, Kevin still considered her a close person.
William didn’t respond to that.
The two soon climbed the stairs, and William slowly pushed open the door.
A warm fragrance of tea greeted them from inside.
Kevin’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the familiar silver-haired woman standing across the room, her brows slightly raised.
"Weren’t you two going a little too wild out there? I had to redraw the barrier three times."
William smiled sheepishly. "I tried to contain the chaos, but this guy was adamant about showing off his abilities."
Kevin blinked in surprise. "Wait... did you actually know about my arrival?"
William rolled his eyes. "Who wouldn’t notice when you were doing such a brilliant job hiding your presence?"
Kevin looked flustered. "What are you talking about? I had full control over my temper."
Emma sighed. "Sit down first."
She gestured toward the nearby chair.
Kevin silently accepted the offer and sat down.
William approached his lover and asked, "Is Nana asleep?"
Emma informed him, "Well, I tucked her in, but I could still feel those big eyes wandering around, eager to see who came."
William chuckled softly. "I’ll go check on her."
He then glanced at Kevin before walking away.
Emma shifted her attention toward the man who had once been her team captain.
Kevin looked almost the same as before, except his presence had become far more profound and noticeable.
"So? How are things on your side?" she asked.
Kevin sighed. "Well, quite good actually. I think you already know that after that day, the appearances of Death Sinks have reduced dramatically. To the point that many Great Hall soldiers have started wondering if they need to find a different job."
Emma was aware of it.
Across the world, Death Sinks had become little more than occasional occurrences. Forget the recent surge, compared to the period before that, the current appearance rate of Death Sinks was barely five percent at most of what it was before the dramatic surge.
It was staggering, but in a good way.
Over the past few months, the number of Sinks appearing across the globe had risen drastically.
Not only isolated locations, but even populated cities and towns had been infected by them.
So yes, this brief calm was a relief. One that was finally allowing humanity to heal.
"The academy has been shut down for an indefinite period. Those who lost their lives that day... their families were compensated. But even then, many are grieving and directing their anger toward the headmaster and the authorities."
His voice carried both grief and frustration.
What happened that day had been beyond anyone’s control.
The teachers had done everything they could to protect the students, even sacrificing their own lives... and yet people still blamed the authorities as though the teachers had abandoned their responsibilities and fled.
Sensing how heavy the atmosphere had suddenly become, Emma decided to shift the topic.
"What about Laila, Lizel, and Natalie? Are you still in contact with them?"
Kevin discreetly glanced toward the door William had taken deeper into the house before mumbling, "Well... I don’t know if I should say this here, but Lizel and Laila are engaged to me now."
Emma chuckled. "Why are you whispering to me? Do you think that would bother William?"
Kevin sighed. "I mean... I know he’s loyal to you, but they did share a past. It’s natural for a man to feel something when a woman he once cared about finally moves on."
Emma answered without a moment’s hesitation, "You can rest assured about William. He doesn’t mind."
She had been with him long enough to understand just how devoted William was to her and their relationship.
What he once shared with Lizel had not been love, but companionship. She had been a close friend, and William had mistaken that bond for something deeper.
So yes, Emma wasn’t worried in the slightest about William hearing the news of their engagement.
Kevin chose not to continue that topic and instead informed her, "Natalie is actually in the capital now. She and His Highness spend most of their time together these days."
"Oh? Is that so?" Emma grinned.
So Loid had finally gathered the courage, huh?
Good for him.
Just then, William returned to the main hall and said, "She’s asleep now."
Kevin glanced between the two before asking, "Is someone else staying here as well?"
Emma nodded, though she didn’t mention who it was.
Kevin chose not to ask further.
Soon, the silver-haired woman served tea for the three of them.
Kevin accepted the cup with a smile, and without even taking a sip, he complimented, "This smells incredibly fragrant."
William sat down on the nearby bed and took a long sip from his cup.
With a nod, he hummed, "Yep. This is really good."
Emma smiled faintly. "Nothing special. I just added a few extra herbs."
Lately, she had been experimenting a lot with beverages, so hearing him compliment her creation genuinely felt nice.
Just then, Kevin decided to bring up something he had avoided mentioning until now.
"You two... never asked me how I found this place."
William and Emma exchanged a glance before the former said, "If you are eager to tell us then go ahead."
Kevin looked down at the teacup, hesitation flickering through his eyes just for a brief moment..but then when he saw how peacefully these two were living here, he decided it was best to tell them.
"Your father betrayed you, William. Count Delimore revealed your current location to the military and tomorrow, an army would arrive at your doorstep."
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A/¥N:- Thanks for reading. Please drop a comment if you have been enjoying the story so far.
